Luprosil propionic acid
The most eco-efficient feed grain preservation method is the treatment with Luprosil propionic acid. Not only does Luprosil treatment cause lower environmental effects, the overall costs are also lower than grain drying or airtight grain storage.
Luprosil and Lupro-Grain: Food Grain Preservation with Propionic Acid is more Eco-Efficient than Drying
When feed grains are harvested they have relatively high moisture contents. To avoid spoilage during storage, feed grains need to be subjected to some preservation treatment. These grains, which may be used as feed for hogs, fowl or cattle, can be preserved using a variety of methods. The most widely-used methods include:
- The grain is dried using warm air to a moisture content not exceeding 12%. The warm air is typically generated by combustion of fuel oil. Both batch driers and continuous driers are used.
- The grain is stored in an air-tight silo. A carbon dioxide-atmosphere and absence of oxygen keeps the grain from spoiling. The steel silos are coated with enamel and are absolutely air-tight.
- The grain is treated with Luprosil (propionic acid) or with Lupro-Grain (ammonium propionate) applied with a dosing pump. Both preservation agents kill off any yeast, bacteria, or mold on the feed grain. Lupro-Grain has the advantage of being less corrosive than Luprosil.
In an Eco-Efficiency Analysis these three feed grain preservation methods were compared. Basis for the comparison was the preservation of 100 t of feed grains with a harvest moisture content of 20%. For 6 months. The complete life cycle was considered, including the production of silos, driers, preservation agents, energy consumption during preservation, risks during application, and grain losses. For each preservation method the following impact categories were considered:
- energy consumption
- material consumption
- emissions
- toxicity potential
- risk potential
- land use
From this analysis, the so-called environmental fingerprint of each preservation method can be determined. Each category is normalized from 0 to 1 so that the method causing the highest impact in that specific category is assigned a value of 1.
The eco-efficiency of the preservation methods is obtained by combining the environmental impact with the grain preservation costs. The eco-efficiency is shown on the following diagram. Eco-efficient processes, i.e. those that cause lower environmental impacts and lower costs, are located in the upper right quadrant (green region).
Luprosil and Lupro-Grain are the most eco-efficient methods for the preservation of feed grains. Less eco-efficient for this customer benefit are the airtight silo storage as well as the batch and continuous driers.
Use of Luprosil and Lupro-Grain for feed grain conservation is thus not only cost-effective but also environmentally friendly: eco-efficient.
